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Friday, April 14, 2017

Interview with author Colin A. Ross, M.D.

The Control of Eve: The True Story
Behind the Three Faces of Eve

What really inspired you to write your book, to force
you from taking an idea or experience and conveying it into a book?

I first heard about the abuse and exploitation of
Chris Sizemore in 1997, when she came to Dallas to be the narrator of a
documentary film about multiple personalities I was making. I had met her
previously at conferences several times (the opening 5 minutes of this film are
posted at www.rossinst.com).
I had no idea how her doctors had behaved, or how much of the real story they
had left out in their book, The Three Faces of Eve. As an expert on multiple
personality disorder, now called dissociative identity disorder, I had read The
Three Faces of Eve, and I was aware that her case is still referred to in
psychology textbooks as the most widely read case history ever published by a
psychiatrist. I thought it was outrageous what Dr. Thigpen and Dr. Cleckley had
done to Chris, including extreme financial manipulation and abuse – they paid
her $3.00 for the rights to her life story, and told her they were writing a
“medical monograph” about her case, when in fact their book became a best
seller and sold several million copies. The real story of what happened to Chris
Sizemore needed to see the light of day, and it needed a book to cover all the
details. Also, it needed to validated by a psychiatrist with expertise in
multiple personality disorder.

What is it about and whom do you believe us your
targeted reader?

The book could interest a wide
readership since it is a thoroughly documented case of extreme abuse and
manipulation of a patient by two psychiatrists. It should interest anyone
interested in patient rights, abuses of patient rights by psychiatry, and the
history of psychiatry. As well, anyone with an interest in multiple personality
disorder would find the book worth reading. I deliberately wrote it in a
readable, non-academic style in order to engage a wide audience. I have also
written a script based on the book and would like to see it made into a film. I
have corresponded with Chris Sizemore’s son about acquiring the story rights
from him and his sister, but so far we have not come to an agreement.

What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for
readers who finish your book? What should remain with them long after
putting it down?

The reader will remember this as perhaps the worst
case of abuse and exploitation of a psychiatric patient ever documented. But
the best part of the story is Chris Sizemore’s strength, resilience, and
recovery from her multiple personality disorder in the mid-1970’s. She went on
to become a speaker on mental health, a gifted painter, and an excellent
mother. It is a story of adversity followed by triumph and recovery.

What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow
writers?

Keep on writing. Believe in yourself, and don’t let
the turkeys get you down. Being a writer involves lots of rejections from
publishers, and there are so many books and writers out there that it’s hard to
get noticed. But don’t give up. I’ve published 200 papers in peer-reviewed
journals and I still get papers rejected multiple times before I find a place
for them. I’ve done a lot of creative writing too, which I enjoy a lot,
but I’ve never gotten “the big break.” I wish one would come along, but I don’t
let the lack of one stop me.

What trends in the book world do you see and where do
you think the book publishing industry is heading?

I see what everyone else sees – a move away from
physical books into electronic media, and future growth in podcasts, blogs,
internet distribution and the like. I have my own small publishing company – I
also see a move away from conventional publishers and brick-and-mortar
bookstores. As a publisher, Amazon is just so much easier to deal with and much
more efficient than regular bookstores. As a writer, I learned that – unless
your books are selling millions – regular publishers don’t really do that much
for you. They take a lot of the revenue for themselves and you still have to do
most of the marketing. If you self-publish, you have control over cover design,
content, the size of print runs and every aspect of your book, and you end up
with more net revenue per book. Like other writers, I wanted my books to be
published by a “real publisher” but once this had happened a number of times, I
figured out that self-publishing is a very viable option.

What great challenges did you have in writing your book?

The main challenge I faced was finding the time to get
the background research and the actual writing done. I have a career as a
psychiatrist, so I have to manage my time to get other projects done. It’s all
about staying focused, structuring your time, and actually sitting down and
putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). Also, organizing the flow of the
book and trying to make it gripping and readable without getting bogged down in
the documentation took some effort. Despite those hurdles, in a way the story
wrote itself. The positive feedback I got from Chris Sizemore about the
manuscript helped a lot.

If people can only buy one book this month, why should
it be yours?

There are several reasons: 1) it is inspiring and
shows that it is possible to overcome abuse and exploitation, 2) it is readable
and is a good story, 3) Chris Sizemore was a wonderful person and her story
should be remembered, 4) the book is reasonably priced and not too long, and 5)
I would appreciate it.

Colin
A. Ross, M.D. is an internationally renowned clinician, researcher, author and
lecturer in the field of dissociation and trauma-related disorders. He is the
founder and President of the Colin A. Ross Institute for Psychological

Trauma.
Dr. Ross has authored over 200 papers in professional journals, most of them
dealing with dissociation, psychological trauma and multiple personality
disorder. He is a Past President of the International Society for the Study of
Trauma and Dissociation. Dr. Ross earned his M.D. from the University of
Alberta and completed his training in psychiatry at the University of Manitoba.
He has been running a hospital-based Trauma Program in Dallas, Texas since
1991. See this for more info: http://www.rossinst.com/.

About Me

Brian Feinblum, the creator and author of BookMarketingBuzzBlog, is the chief marketing officer for the nation's largest book promotions firm, Media Connect (www.Media-Connect.com), formerly Planned Television Arts, and has been involved in book publicity and marketing since 1989. He has served several book publishing companies as a publicist, book editor, and acquisitions editor. Brian, who earned a BA in English from Brooklyn College, became a published author in 1995 when he penned The Florida Homeowner, Condo and Co-Op Handbook. He resides in Westchester, New York with his wife, two young children, and an English Bulldog.